Run Rehearsal Races to Nail Your Next Goal

When it comes to training—whether for a 5K or marathon—nothing prepares you for racing like an actual race. Log all the training miles you like, but if you don’t simulate actual race-day conditions, you may end up feeling unprepared when you hit the starting line.

Runners can benefit from scheduling “rehearsal” races leading up to a goal event. “Practicing anything should improve a person’s ability to perform,” says Jon Sinclair, a coach at Anaerobic Management in Fort Collins, Colorado, “so it only makes sense that practicing aspects of racing should produce better results.”

Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all prescription. One athlete may see results from racing every other week, while another might only need one good lead-up run. And keep in mind: These races aren’t about logging a personal best, but rather, smaller goals that will contribute to better performance at the end of the season. Consider these four strategies on signing up for a practice races before your big one.

Establish a Prerace RoutineInstead of waiting for the big event to throw yourself into the chaotic race day environment, lead-up races help you practice a particular routine for race morning. “Being comfortable with a prerace routine is a good way to reduce anxiety,” says Sinclair. By testing out things like the breakfast that you eat, the music that you listen to, and the warm-up that works best, you can simply to put yourself on autopilot the morning of your goal race.

Bust Rust and Dial InTempo runs and interval sessions are among the toughest workouts, but they pale in comparison to the effort you can muster for a race. “Very few people can dig as deep in a workout as they can when racing,” says Phoenix-based USATF-certified coach John Reich. Even in races that you are treating like workouts, you’re more likely to push yourself when you’re under the gun in the competitive environment.

Just don’t let that nervous energy that pervades every starting line make you go out too fast. “A lot of what we do in lead-up races is learn to manage effort and match effort with speed,” says Matt Ebersole, head coach of Personal Best Training in Carmel, Indiana. “It’s all about getting tuned into how hard you can work for how long.” So while you’re not trying to set a PR, rehearsal races allow you to make a realistic prediction regarding what might be a reasonable pace for your goal event.

Experiment with Nutrition and HydrationIn the same way a prerace routine removes potential question marks on race day, so too does an established nutrition plan. While this is something that can certainly be practiced in workouts, Sinclair notes, “everyone’s stomach is a little different, and race efforts produce challenges that affect everyone in wildly different ways.”

This means experimenting with everything from the timing of your food and fluid intake, how to drink from a paper cup on the run, to trying various nutritional fuels—in particular those that will be offered on the course at your goal race.

When to Run Rehearsal RacesIn terms of timing, it depends on your goals. “If you’re looking to predict performance, then you could run a 5K race two weeks before a 10K goal race or three weeks before a half marathon,” says Reich. Similarly, a half marathon run three to four weeks before the full thing would give you a ballpark idea of what you’ll be able to run 26.2. (Check out the Runner's WorldRace Predictor Tool to get a feel for how fast you can run your next race.)

“If you need to work on strategy and nutrition, though, you should schedule the race farther out to absorb what you learn and still get a little meaningful training in before the goal race,” says Reich.

Through some trial and error, you’ll figure out how you respond to the racing stimulus with practice races. Just remember that you can have too much of a good thing by doing too much burning yourself out on racing. While you want to be comfortable in the race-day environment, some level of nervous energy can aid performance on the big day.

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